Conceptualizing the socio-cultural impacts of marine plastic pollution on human well-being–a perspective
- Yose, Papama, Thondhlana, Gladman, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Yose, Papama , Thondhlana, Gladman , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471196 , vital:77428 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115285
- Description: Marine plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems globally, with adverse impacts on human well-being but socio-cultural impacts remain poorly conceptualized and little understudied. This perspective paper argues for a more nuanced understanding of the socio-cultural dimensions of impacts beyond direct and quantitatively measured impacts. The paper provides a working definition of and a conceptual framework for categorizing the socio-cultural impacts of marine plastic pollution. It also highlights three dimensions of socio-cultural impacts (lifestyle, mental health, and cultural and heritage impacts), and characterizes and suggests ways socio-cultural impacts can be assessed and recognized. The paper is meant to provoke productive debate and policy and management options for addressing the impacts of marine plastic pollution in socially meaningful and equitable ways.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Yose, Papama , Thondhlana, Gladman , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471196 , vital:77428 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115285
- Description: Marine plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems globally, with adverse impacts on human well-being but socio-cultural impacts remain poorly conceptualized and little understudied. This perspective paper argues for a more nuanced understanding of the socio-cultural dimensions of impacts beyond direct and quantitatively measured impacts. The paper provides a working definition of and a conceptual framework for categorizing the socio-cultural impacts of marine plastic pollution. It also highlights three dimensions of socio-cultural impacts (lifestyle, mental health, and cultural and heritage impacts), and characterizes and suggests ways socio-cultural impacts can be assessed and recognized. The paper is meant to provoke productive debate and policy and management options for addressing the impacts of marine plastic pollution in socially meaningful and equitable ways.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Economic evaluation of chemical and biological control of four aquatic weeds in South Africa
- Maluleke, Mary, Fraser, Gavin C G, Hill, Martin P
- Authors: Maluleke, Mary , Fraser, Gavin C G , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/453170 , vital:75228 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2021.1900783"
- Description: Invasive alien plants (IAPs) pose a threat to biodiversity and the economy of the countries they invade. In South Africa, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Natural Resources Management Programmes, previously The Working for Water Programme (WfW) is tasked with controlling IAPs in a way that protects the environment, as well as producing maximum return to society through poverty alleviation. Biological control is one of the management tools used to control IAPs in South Africa. Four aquatic weeds, Pista stratiotes, Salvinia molesta, Azolla filiculoides and Myriophyllum aquaticum, are under complete biological control in South Africa. However, in the absence of biological agents, the WfW programme would have used herbicides to control these weeds. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of the relative herbicide cost-saving associated with the use of biological control instead of chemical control. The study used cost benefit analysis (CBA) framework with an 8% discount rate. The estimated cost of the biological control on all four aquatic weeds was about R7.8 million, while the estimated cost of chemical control to achieve the same level of control varied between R150 million and R1 billion, depending on the method of application and number of follow up operations. Benefit to cost ratios varied between 90:1 and 631:1, again depending on method of application and number of follow up sprays. The results remained robust under a 5% and 10% sensitivity test and show that biological control is the most cost-effective management option for aquatic weeds in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
- Authors: Maluleke, Mary , Fraser, Gavin C G , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/453170 , vital:75228 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2021.1900783"
- Description: Invasive alien plants (IAPs) pose a threat to biodiversity and the economy of the countries they invade. In South Africa, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Natural Resources Management Programmes, previously The Working for Water Programme (WfW) is tasked with controlling IAPs in a way that protects the environment, as well as producing maximum return to society through poverty alleviation. Biological control is one of the management tools used to control IAPs in South Africa. Four aquatic weeds, Pista stratiotes, Salvinia molesta, Azolla filiculoides and Myriophyllum aquaticum, are under complete biological control in South Africa. However, in the absence of biological agents, the WfW programme would have used herbicides to control these weeds. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of the relative herbicide cost-saving associated with the use of biological control instead of chemical control. The study used cost benefit analysis (CBA) framework with an 8% discount rate. The estimated cost of the biological control on all four aquatic weeds was about R7.8 million, while the estimated cost of chemical control to achieve the same level of control varied between R150 million and R1 billion, depending on the method of application and number of follow up operations. Benefit to cost ratios varied between 90:1 and 631:1, again depending on method of application and number of follow up sprays. The results remained robust under a 5% and 10% sensitivity test and show that biological control is the most cost-effective management option for aquatic weeds in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Factors influencing food consumption diversity among farming households in selected states in southwestern Nigeria
- Egbetokun, Olugbenga A, Fraser, Gavin C G, Marire, Juniours
- Authors: Egbetokun, Olugbenga A , Fraser, Gavin C G , Marire, Juniours
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471346 , vital:77444 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajfand/article/view/206465
- Description: The dietary practices of households have significant repercussions on the quality of life of its members. Dietary practice generally shows the types and variety of food intake and is extremely reliant on the socio-demographic characteristics. Dietary diversity has been positively associated with the four pillars of food security and all dietary guidelines propose consuming a large variety of foods, across and within major food groups. This paper focuses on the influence of socioeconomic factors on household-level food consumption diversity (FCD) in Nigeria. Since the majority of Nigerians (70 per cent) live in rural areas, an analysis of the food and nutrition security status of rural dwellers will provide a clear picture of what needs to be done to assure food security. A multistage sampling technique was employed for the selection of respondents from a random sample of households proportionate to the size of three states in the south-western agricultural zone of Nigeria, and primary data were collected using an interview guide. The analytical tools used were descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, mean food consumption diversity index and multinomial logit regression model.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Egbetokun, Olugbenga A , Fraser, Gavin C G , Marire, Juniours
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471346 , vital:77444 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajfand/article/view/206465
- Description: The dietary practices of households have significant repercussions on the quality of life of its members. Dietary practice generally shows the types and variety of food intake and is extremely reliant on the socio-demographic characteristics. Dietary diversity has been positively associated with the four pillars of food security and all dietary guidelines propose consuming a large variety of foods, across and within major food groups. This paper focuses on the influence of socioeconomic factors on household-level food consumption diversity (FCD) in Nigeria. Since the majority of Nigerians (70 per cent) live in rural areas, an analysis of the food and nutrition security status of rural dwellers will provide a clear picture of what needs to be done to assure food security. A multistage sampling technique was employed for the selection of respondents from a random sample of households proportionate to the size of three states in the south-western agricultural zone of Nigeria, and primary data were collected using an interview guide. The analytical tools used were descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, mean food consumption diversity index and multinomial logit regression model.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
An ecosystem service value chain analysis framework: a conceptual paper
- Rawlins, Jonathan M, De Lange, Willem J, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Rawlins, Jonathan M , De Lange, Willem J , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69321 , vital:29499 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.12.023
- Description: Modern day societies and economies are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the continued erosion of the stocks and flows of essential ecosystem services. Thus, the management of complex socio-economic systems to effectively provide these essential services has become a global priority policy and academic research area. Understanding how underlying processes and functions contribute towards the provision of final ecosystem services can facilitate improved dissemination of credible, legitimate and salient information to decision-makers. This paper presents an ecosystem service value chain analysis framework that applies basic system dynamics modelling in the form of causal loop diagrams to facilitate an alternative analysis of ecosystem service value chains. A scoping application of the framework is applied to a case study for flood attenuation services in the Baviaanskloof catchment in South Africa. The framework enables the identification of forward linkages and ripple effects in individual value chains of final ecosystem services as well as the identification and assessment of challenges and opportunities within individual causal pathways. Ultimately, providing the potential to advance strategies for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of final ecosystem service provision.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Rawlins, Jonathan M , De Lange, Willem J , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69321 , vital:29499 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.12.023
- Description: Modern day societies and economies are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the continued erosion of the stocks and flows of essential ecosystem services. Thus, the management of complex socio-economic systems to effectively provide these essential services has become a global priority policy and academic research area. Understanding how underlying processes and functions contribute towards the provision of final ecosystem services can facilitate improved dissemination of credible, legitimate and salient information to decision-makers. This paper presents an ecosystem service value chain analysis framework that applies basic system dynamics modelling in the form of causal loop diagrams to facilitate an alternative analysis of ecosystem service value chains. A scoping application of the framework is applied to a case study for flood attenuation services in the Baviaanskloof catchment in South Africa. The framework enables the identification of forward linkages and ripple effects in individual value chains of final ecosystem services as well as the identification and assessment of challenges and opportunities within individual causal pathways. Ultimately, providing the potential to advance strategies for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of final ecosystem service provision.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
An investigation of multidimensional energy poverty among South African low‐income households
- Olawumi Israel-Akinbo, Sylvia, Snowball, Jeanette D, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Olawumi Israel-Akinbo, Sylvia , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471097 , vital:77418 , https://doi.org/10.1111/saje.12207
- Description: This paper empirically assesses multidimensional energy poverty for low‐income households in South Africa using the four waves of the National Income Dynamics Study. The study adopts the Nussbaumer et al. (Measuring Energy Poverty, 2011) methodology, the multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI), to estimate energy poverty on 10,801 low‐income households. The results indicate that low‐income households in rural areas are more energy deprived than those in the urban areas. The MEPI score across the years in low‐income urban and rural households depicts a moderate state of energy poverty. Furthermore, low‐income households in both the urban and the rural areas are mostly deprived in the dimension of heating fuel. The study recommends that suitable measures to combat energy poverty be rural–urban specific.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Olawumi Israel-Akinbo, Sylvia , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471097 , vital:77418 , https://doi.org/10.1111/saje.12207
- Description: This paper empirically assesses multidimensional energy poverty for low‐income households in South Africa using the four waves of the National Income Dynamics Study. The study adopts the Nussbaumer et al. (Measuring Energy Poverty, 2011) methodology, the multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI), to estimate energy poverty on 10,801 low‐income households. The results indicate that low‐income households in rural areas are more energy deprived than those in the urban areas. The MEPI score across the years in low‐income urban and rural households depicts a moderate state of energy poverty. Furthermore, low‐income households in both the urban and the rural areas are mostly deprived in the dimension of heating fuel. The study recommends that suitable measures to combat energy poverty be rural–urban specific.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Economic evaluation of wetland restoration: a systematic review of the literature
- Browne, Michelle, Fraser, Gavin C G, Snowball, Jeanette D
- Authors: Browne, Michelle , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471292 , vital:77438 , https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12889
- Description: Evaluating the outcomes of wetland restoration projects is critical to improve practice and justify further investment in wetland restoration. We conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the current state of knowledge on the economic valuation of the outcomes of wetland restoration. We assessed the economic methods applied, the attributes valued, and the timing of the evaluation in relation to the age of restoration along with publication trends. Research on the topic is increasing, but studies from Africa and South America are lacking. A diverse cross‐disciplinary interest is notable, yet collaborations between disciplines are less frequent. Of particular concern is that only a third of the studies were undertaken postrestoration, and even fewer for restorations older than 10 years. Gaps in the knowledge base mean that our present understanding of the value achieved through wetland restoration is tentative. The need for postrestoration site‐specific valuation efforts remains large both to justify further investment and to improve confidence in predictive and value transfer approaches as practical tools to inform decision‐making.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Browne, Michelle , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471292 , vital:77438 , https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12889
- Description: Evaluating the outcomes of wetland restoration projects is critical to improve practice and justify further investment in wetland restoration. We conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the current state of knowledge on the economic valuation of the outcomes of wetland restoration. We assessed the economic methods applied, the attributes valued, and the timing of the evaluation in relation to the age of restoration along with publication trends. Research on the topic is increasing, but studies from Africa and South America are lacking. A diverse cross‐disciplinary interest is notable, yet collaborations between disciplines are less frequent. Of particular concern is that only a third of the studies were undertaken postrestoration, and even fewer for restorations older than 10 years. Gaps in the knowledge base mean that our present understanding of the value achieved through wetland restoration is tentative. The need for postrestoration site‐specific valuation efforts remains large both to justify further investment and to improve confidence in predictive and value transfer approaches as practical tools to inform decision‐making.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The energy transition patterns of low-income households in South Africa: an evaluation of energy programme and policy
- Israel-Akinbo, Sylvia O, Snowball, Jeanette D, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Israel-Akinbo, Sylvia O , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69397 , vital:29518 , https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2018/v29i3a3310
- Description: The transition to modern energy carriers like electricity is an important way to achieve to eradicate energy poverty. This study investigated energy transition patterns and trends in low-income South African households. The marginal effects of the different determinants on the probability of choosing a specific energy carrier were computed and the influence of some endogenous characteristics in transitioning to modern energy carriers was explored. It was found that energy ladder behaviour exists for cooking while energy stacking was most likely for space heating and the pattern for lighting tended towards energy stacking. Dwelling type, household size and geographical location were among the key determinants of the energy transition pattern. Policies to reduce energy poverty need a multi-pronged approach and not only a focus on electricity access.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Israel-Akinbo, Sylvia O , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69397 , vital:29518 , https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2018/v29i3a3310
- Description: The transition to modern energy carriers like electricity is an important way to achieve to eradicate energy poverty. This study investigated energy transition patterns and trends in low-income South African households. The marginal effects of the different determinants on the probability of choosing a specific energy carrier were computed and the influence of some endogenous characteristics in transitioning to modern energy carriers was explored. It was found that energy ladder behaviour exists for cooking while energy stacking was most likely for space heating and the pattern for lighting tended towards energy stacking. Dwelling type, household size and geographical location were among the key determinants of the energy transition pattern. Policies to reduce energy poverty need a multi-pronged approach and not only a focus on electricity access.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Assessing aquatic ecosystem services value chains and markets in South Africa: some case studies
- De Lange, Willem J, Rawlins, Jonathan M, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: De Lange, Willem J , Rawlins, Jonathan M , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471128 , vital:77421 , ISBN 978-1-4312-0923-1
- Description: We still have a limited understanding of the value chains, markets and the actual economic value of ecosystem services from aquat-ic ecosystems. Different studies have developed various ap-proaches for determining the economic value of these benefits, and of the associated natural capital. Most confirm that the value of aquatic ecosystems lies in the sustained nett benefits derived from the many ecosystem services they supply; including various ecological functions, products for direct and indirect human con-sumption, energy, aesthetic and recreational benefits, and assimi-lative capacity of the residues of human activities. However, the geographic, cultural and economic differences between countries or nations have resulted in different views that affect the market potential of ecosystem services from aquatic ecosystems. This study focused on identifying key ecosystem services and their forward linkages, understanding how to improve market access to such services, and creating or improving the value chains in the South African context. The research is intended to help identify opportunities for improvements that benefit society more broadly. It is anticipated that the study will be useful to land use planners, designers of infrastructure and town planners.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: De Lange, Willem J , Rawlins, Jonathan M , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471128 , vital:77421 , ISBN 978-1-4312-0923-1
- Description: We still have a limited understanding of the value chains, markets and the actual economic value of ecosystem services from aquat-ic ecosystems. Different studies have developed various ap-proaches for determining the economic value of these benefits, and of the associated natural capital. Most confirm that the value of aquatic ecosystems lies in the sustained nett benefits derived from the many ecosystem services they supply; including various ecological functions, products for direct and indirect human con-sumption, energy, aesthetic and recreational benefits, and assimi-lative capacity of the residues of human activities. However, the geographic, cultural and economic differences between countries or nations have resulted in different views that affect the market potential of ecosystem services from aquatic ecosystems. This study focused on identifying key ecosystem services and their forward linkages, understanding how to improve market access to such services, and creating or improving the value chains in the South African context. The research is intended to help identify opportunities for improvements that benefit society more broadly. It is anticipated that the study will be useful to land use planners, designers of infrastructure and town planners.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
2010 FIFA World Cup stadium investment: Does the post-event usage justify the expenditure?
- Humphrey, Luke, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Humphrey, Luke , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/470954 , vital:77403 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/aref/article/view/162154
- Description: This paper provides an ex-post analysis of the utilisation of the stadiums that were built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The South African government invested approximately US $1.57 billion and US $523 million into the development of new stadiums and upgrades to existing stadiums, respectively. This paper determines whether the substantial investments into the stadiums’ infrastructure are justified by the utilisation of the stadiums after the 2010 FIFA World Cup event. A utilisation rate and a stadium usage index were used to analyse the utilisation benefits derived from the stadiums. Generally, the results suggest that there has been a significant decline in the utilisation of stadiums following the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Furthermore, the results indicate that the exorbitant costs of the stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup were significant in relation to the underutilisation of the stadiums in the wake of the event. The 2010 FIFA World Cup has left the country with an expenditure legacy of an oversupply of stadiums, thus making some of the stadiums unsustainable. The results of this study appear to be in line with existing empirical research, which suggests that stadiums tend be underutilised and pose a financial burden for a host nation, subsequent to a mega-event.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Humphrey, Luke , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/470954 , vital:77403 , https://www.ajol.info/index.php/aref/article/view/162154
- Description: This paper provides an ex-post analysis of the utilisation of the stadiums that were built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The South African government invested approximately US $1.57 billion and US $523 million into the development of new stadiums and upgrades to existing stadiums, respectively. This paper determines whether the substantial investments into the stadiums’ infrastructure are justified by the utilisation of the stadiums after the 2010 FIFA World Cup event. A utilisation rate and a stadium usage index were used to analyse the utilisation benefits derived from the stadiums. Generally, the results suggest that there has been a significant decline in the utilisation of stadiums following the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Furthermore, the results indicate that the exorbitant costs of the stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup were significant in relation to the underutilisation of the stadiums in the wake of the event. The 2010 FIFA World Cup has left the country with an expenditure legacy of an oversupply of stadiums, thus making some of the stadiums unsustainable. The results of this study appear to be in line with existing empirical research, which suggests that stadiums tend be underutilised and pose a financial burden for a host nation, subsequent to a mega-event.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Economic evaluation of water loss saving due to the biological control of water hyacinth at New Year’s Dam, Eastern Cape province, South Africa
- Fraser, Gavin C G, Hill, Martin P, Martin, J A
- Authors: Fraser, Gavin C G , Hill, Martin P , Martin, J A
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69341 , vital:29502 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2016.1151765
- Description: Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes is considered the most damaging aquatic weed in the world. However, few studies have quantified the impact of this weed economically and ecologically, and even fewer studies have quantified the benefits of its control. This paper focuses on water loss saving as the benefit derived from biological control of this plant between 1990 and 2013 at New Year’s Dam, Alicedale, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Estimates of water loss due to evapotranspiration from water hyacinth vary significantly; therefore, the study used three different rates, high, medium and low. A conservative raw agriculture value of R 0.26 per m3 was used to calculate the benefits derived by the water saved. The present benefit and cost values were determined using 10% and 5% discount rates. The benefit/cost ratio at the low evapotranspiration rate was less than one, implying that biological control was not economically viable but, at the higher evapotranspiration rates, the return justified the costs of biological control. However, at the marginal value product of water, the inclusion of the costs of damage to infrastructure, or the adverse effects of water hyacinth on biodiversity, would justify the use of biological control, even at the low transpiration rate.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Fraser, Gavin C G , Hill, Martin P , Martin, J A
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69341 , vital:29502 , https://doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2016.1151765
- Description: Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes is considered the most damaging aquatic weed in the world. However, few studies have quantified the impact of this weed economically and ecologically, and even fewer studies have quantified the benefits of its control. This paper focuses on water loss saving as the benefit derived from biological control of this plant between 1990 and 2013 at New Year’s Dam, Alicedale, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Estimates of water loss due to evapotranspiration from water hyacinth vary significantly; therefore, the study used three different rates, high, medium and low. A conservative raw agriculture value of R 0.26 per m3 was used to calculate the benefits derived by the water saved. The present benefit and cost values were determined using 10% and 5% discount rates. The benefit/cost ratio at the low evapotranspiration rate was less than one, implying that biological control was not economically viable but, at the higher evapotranspiration rates, the return justified the costs of biological control. However, at the marginal value product of water, the inclusion of the costs of damage to infrastructure, or the adverse effects of water hyacinth on biodiversity, would justify the use of biological control, even at the low transpiration rate.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
Sport consumption patterns in the Eastern Cape: cricket spectators as sporting univores or omnivores
- Brock, Kelcey, Fraser, Gavin C G, Botha, Ferdi
- Authors: Brock, Kelcey , Fraser, Gavin C G , Botha, Ferdi
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69362 , vital:29508 , https://doi.org/10.4102/jef.v9i3.64
- Description: Since its inception, consumption behaviour theory has developed to account for the important social aspects that underpin or at least to some extent explain consumer behaviour. Empirical studies on consumption behaviour of cultural activities, entertainment and sport have used Bourdieu’s (1984) omnivore/univore theory to investigate consumption of leisure activities. The aim of this study is to investigate whether South African cricket spectators are sporting omnivores or univores. The study was conducted among cricket spectators in the Eastern Cape at four limited overs cricket matches in the 2012/2013 cricket season. The results indicate that consumption behaviour of sport predominantly differs on the grounds of education and race. This suggests that there are aspects of social connotations underpinning sports consumption behaviour within South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Sport consumption patterns in the Eastern Cape: cricket spectators as sporting univores or omnivores
- Authors: Brock, Kelcey , Fraser, Gavin C G , Botha, Ferdi
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69362 , vital:29508 , https://doi.org/10.4102/jef.v9i3.64
- Description: Since its inception, consumption behaviour theory has developed to account for the important social aspects that underpin or at least to some extent explain consumer behaviour. Empirical studies on consumption behaviour of cultural activities, entertainment and sport have used Bourdieu’s (1984) omnivore/univore theory to investigate consumption of leisure activities. The aim of this study is to investigate whether South African cricket spectators are sporting omnivores or univores. The study was conducted among cricket spectators in the Eastern Cape at four limited overs cricket matches in the 2012/2013 cricket season. The results indicate that consumption behaviour of sport predominantly differs on the grounds of education and race. This suggests that there are aspects of social connotations underpinning sports consumption behaviour within South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Water footprint assessment of citrus production in South Africa: A case study of the Lower Sundays River Valley
- Munro, Samantha A, Fraser, Gavin C G, Snowball, Jeanette D, Pahlow, Markus
- Authors: Munro, Samantha A , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D , Pahlow, Markus
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69240 , vital:29463 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.142
- Description: Water footprint assessment is a developing method that is being increasingly applied to quantify water use, prioritise reductions, assess sustainability and provide information to achieve sustainable, efficient, and equitable water use. The objectives of this paper were to conduct a water footprint assessment of primary citrus production within the Lower Sundays River Valley in South Africa using local, high-resolution data and to examine indicators (water scarcity, pollution, efficiency, productivity and access) to determine the sustainability of blue, green and grey water footprints of a wet, dry and average year. Lemons were found to have the lowest blue and combined green-blue water footprint per ton of production across all climatic years, followed by soft citrus, valencias and navels. Valencias had the lowest, and navels the highest grey WF (relating to inorganic nitrogen). Lemons, despite their high crop water and fertiliser requirements, were regarded more economically efficient in comparison to valencias, soft citrus and navels, in that they provided higher net income and more employment hours per m3 of water in comparison to other citrus crops. In an average season, lemons generated approximately 39% more income per m3 of water than navels, despite navels being the dominant cultivar. Blue water consumption for citrus in the catchment was calculated to be 58.7 Mm3 for an average season and 89.2 Mm3 for a dry season. Due to an inter-basin transfer scheme, no physical water scarcity occurred, and both environmental and basic human needs are met. Water pollution levels related to nitrogen however, exceeded the assimilative capacity of the run-off in dry years. The area also experiences institutional and infrastructural scarcity and 14% of the population do not have access to piped water. Stakeholders and governments may use the results of water footprint assessments to determine the status of river basins, make evaluations for future water usage and the potential impacts of expanding agriculture and different management strategies. Including environmental and socio-economic indicators will also improve the integrity of water footprint assessments.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Munro, Samantha A , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D , Pahlow, Markus
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69240 , vital:29463 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.142
- Description: Water footprint assessment is a developing method that is being increasingly applied to quantify water use, prioritise reductions, assess sustainability and provide information to achieve sustainable, efficient, and equitable water use. The objectives of this paper were to conduct a water footprint assessment of primary citrus production within the Lower Sundays River Valley in South Africa using local, high-resolution data and to examine indicators (water scarcity, pollution, efficiency, productivity and access) to determine the sustainability of blue, green and grey water footprints of a wet, dry and average year. Lemons were found to have the lowest blue and combined green-blue water footprint per ton of production across all climatic years, followed by soft citrus, valencias and navels. Valencias had the lowest, and navels the highest grey WF (relating to inorganic nitrogen). Lemons, despite their high crop water and fertiliser requirements, were regarded more economically efficient in comparison to valencias, soft citrus and navels, in that they provided higher net income and more employment hours per m3 of water in comparison to other citrus crops. In an average season, lemons generated approximately 39% more income per m3 of water than navels, despite navels being the dominant cultivar. Blue water consumption for citrus in the catchment was calculated to be 58.7 Mm3 for an average season and 89.2 Mm3 for a dry season. Due to an inter-basin transfer scheme, no physical water scarcity occurred, and both environmental and basic human needs are met. Water pollution levels related to nitrogen however, exceeded the assimilative capacity of the run-off in dry years. The area also experiences institutional and infrastructural scarcity and 14% of the population do not have access to piped water. Stakeholders and governments may use the results of water footprint assessments to determine the status of river basins, make evaluations for future water usage and the potential impacts of expanding agriculture and different management strategies. Including environmental and socio-economic indicators will also improve the integrity of water footprint assessments.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
Issues and concerns in developing regulated markets for endangered species products: the case of rhinoceros horns
- Collins, Alan, Fraser, Gavin C G, Snowball, Jeanette D
- Authors: Collins, Alan , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/124877 , vital:35706 , https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bev076
- Description: A proposal for addressing rhinoceros poaching is to legalise the trade in rhino horn and adopt a regulated market approach, overturning the current trade ban. This orthodox economic prescription aims to reduce incentives to poach endangered wildlife by driving down the market price of their products via auctioned stockpile releases. Biologists are clear, however, that securing a stockpile for some species needs biological success in captive breeding programmes (CBPs), which varies markedly across species and habitats. Rhinoceros herds in a CBP would need spatially extensive terrain and costly permanent security measures; this only appears feasible for the less aggressive ‘white’ rhino. We argue that the market price would actually need to be sustained at a high level to cover protection costs over the longer reproduction cycles in CBPs and that, without extensive monitoring and the correct institutional structures being in place, legalising trade may encourage, rather than prevent, poaching. Supplementary policy measures that differentiate among consumer groups would also likely prove necessary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Collins, Alan , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/124877 , vital:35706 , https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bev076
- Description: A proposal for addressing rhinoceros poaching is to legalise the trade in rhino horn and adopt a regulated market approach, overturning the current trade ban. This orthodox economic prescription aims to reduce incentives to poach endangered wildlife by driving down the market price of their products via auctioned stockpile releases. Biologists are clear, however, that securing a stockpile for some species needs biological success in captive breeding programmes (CBPs), which varies markedly across species and habitats. Rhinoceros herds in a CBP would need spatially extensive terrain and costly permanent security measures; this only appears feasible for the less aggressive ‘white’ rhino. We argue that the market price would actually need to be sustained at a high level to cover protection costs over the longer reproduction cycles in CBPs and that, without extensive monitoring and the correct institutional structures being in place, legalising trade may encourage, rather than prevent, poaching. Supplementary policy measures that differentiate among consumer groups would also likely prove necessary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Making rules to live by: Was the proposed regulatory regime for invasive species reasonable? Perceptions of the South African trout industry
- Marire, Juniours, Snowball, Jeanette D, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Marire, Juniours , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68566 , vital:29285 , http://2015.essa.org.za/fullpaper/essa_2938.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , Despite considerable economic impact of trout-based aquaculture and recreational fishing, the Department of Environmental Affairs has been focusing almost entirely on ecological criteria in deciding the regulatory regime for trout. We examined whether the proposed regulatory regime for alien and invasive species that was published by the Department of Environmental Affairs in 2014 for public comment was reasonable. The analysis produced factors that might matter in the design of reasonable institutional arrangements that impose a reasonable regulatory burden on economic sectors utilising invasive species. We conducted factor analysis using an online survey that we conducted between May and July 2014. We obtained four clusters of factors: participatory policymaking, people-centeredness, credible scientific evidence for listing species as invasive and contextualisation of international evidence. We then utilised the factors in a logistic regression framework to assess their influence on the probability of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable. The likelihood of a trout sector player perceiving the regulations to be reasonable was 1.2%. We found that a one standard deviation increase in the “credibility of scientific evidence” increased the odds of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable by 1645%. A one standard deviation increase in “participation” increased the odds of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable by 410%. A one standard deviation increase in “people-centeredness” increased the odds of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable by 600%. Lastly, a one standard deviation increase in the variable “contextualising international evidence” increased the odds of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable by 415%. This research demonstrates that properly addressing the socioeconomic aspects of new policies in addition to ecological criteria makes it far more likely that stakeholders will regard them as reasonable, even if the new policies impose increased regulatory transaction cost burden on users or reduced access to a resource.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Marire, Juniours , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68566 , vital:29285 , http://2015.essa.org.za/fullpaper/essa_2938.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , Despite considerable economic impact of trout-based aquaculture and recreational fishing, the Department of Environmental Affairs has been focusing almost entirely on ecological criteria in deciding the regulatory regime for trout. We examined whether the proposed regulatory regime for alien and invasive species that was published by the Department of Environmental Affairs in 2014 for public comment was reasonable. The analysis produced factors that might matter in the design of reasonable institutional arrangements that impose a reasonable regulatory burden on economic sectors utilising invasive species. We conducted factor analysis using an online survey that we conducted between May and July 2014. We obtained four clusters of factors: participatory policymaking, people-centeredness, credible scientific evidence for listing species as invasive and contextualisation of international evidence. We then utilised the factors in a logistic regression framework to assess their influence on the probability of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable. The likelihood of a trout sector player perceiving the regulations to be reasonable was 1.2%. We found that a one standard deviation increase in the “credibility of scientific evidence” increased the odds of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable by 1645%. A one standard deviation increase in “participation” increased the odds of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable by 410%. A one standard deviation increase in “people-centeredness” increased the odds of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable by 600%. Lastly, a one standard deviation increase in the variable “contextualising international evidence” increased the odds of perceiving the regulations to be reasonable by 415%. This research demonstrates that properly addressing the socioeconomic aspects of new policies in addition to ecological criteria makes it far more likely that stakeholders will regard them as reasonable, even if the new policies impose increased regulatory transaction cost burden on users or reduced access to a resource.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Perceptions of the natural environment from a rural African perspective: a case of Cylondropuntia fulgida var. fulgida in Gwanda district, Zimbabwe
- Dube, Nqobizitha, Snowball, Jeanette D, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Dube, Nqobizitha , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68578 , vital:29289 , http://2015.essa.org.za/fullpaper/essa_2994.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , Community environmental perceptions are instrumental in environmental management programmes given that perspectives govern human-environment relations. Despite numerous studies on environmental perceptions, little is known about how the rural poor particularly in Africa conceptualize, live with, and respond to pressing environmental issues facing them. As such, this paper uses the case of an invasive alien plant (IAP) (Cylindropuntia fulgida var. fulgida (Cff)) in a rural community (Gwanda district, Zimbabwe) to unveil the conceptualisation of the natural environment from a rural African perspective. This paper discloses the environmental worldview of the community and explains the formulation of the attitudes by the local households towards species in the environment. The study uses two horizontal dimensions of environmental attitudes formulation (New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale and Kellet’s (1996) classification of environmental values). Data was collected using a questionnaire survey, group discussions and key informant interviews. A sample of 156 individuals comprised the study respondents. Results showed the residents of rural Gwanda district to hold both a conservation and utilisation conviction (syncretic view) towards the environment. However, utilisation outweighs conservation. Furthermore, older residents are more inclined to conservation in comparison to the youth. The study also divulged that the origin of a species in the natural environment was insignificant to the host community. However, the livelihood effects that species had (regardless of origins) were the major determinants of attitudes developed towards it.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Dube, Nqobizitha , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68578 , vital:29289 , http://2015.essa.org.za/fullpaper/essa_2994.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , Community environmental perceptions are instrumental in environmental management programmes given that perspectives govern human-environment relations. Despite numerous studies on environmental perceptions, little is known about how the rural poor particularly in Africa conceptualize, live with, and respond to pressing environmental issues facing them. As such, this paper uses the case of an invasive alien plant (IAP) (Cylindropuntia fulgida var. fulgida (Cff)) in a rural community (Gwanda district, Zimbabwe) to unveil the conceptualisation of the natural environment from a rural African perspective. This paper discloses the environmental worldview of the community and explains the formulation of the attitudes by the local households towards species in the environment. The study uses two horizontal dimensions of environmental attitudes formulation (New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) Scale and Kellet’s (1996) classification of environmental values). Data was collected using a questionnaire survey, group discussions and key informant interviews. A sample of 156 individuals comprised the study respondents. Results showed the residents of rural Gwanda district to hold both a conservation and utilisation conviction (syncretic view) towards the environment. However, utilisation outweighs conservation. Furthermore, older residents are more inclined to conservation in comparison to the youth. The study also divulged that the origin of a species in the natural environment was insignificant to the host community. However, the livelihood effects that species had (regardless of origins) were the major determinants of attitudes developed towards it.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Water footprint assessment to inform water management and policy making in South Africa
- Pahlow, Markus, Snowball, Jeanette D, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Pahlow, Markus , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68813 , vital:29327 , http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v41i3.02
- Description: Publisher version , One method to inform decisions with respect to sustainable, efficient and equitable water allocation and use is water footprint assessment (WFA). This paper presents a preliminary WFA of South Africa (SA) based on data for the period 1996-2005. Crop production was found to contribute about 75% of the total water footprint of national production. The total water footprint of crop production is mainly composed of five crops: maize, fodder crops, sugarcane, wheat and sunflower seed, which account for 83% of the crop water footprint. The average water footprint of a South African consumer is 1 255 m3/yr, below the world average of 1 385 m3/yr, and is dominated by the consumption of meat (32%) and cereals (29%). About one fifth of this water footprint of consumption is external to SA. While SA is a net virtual water importer, the virtual water trade analysis revealed that a large share of blue water consumption is related to export. Sustainability concerns are that the major river basins face severe blue-water scarcity for extended periods of the year, and that water pollution levels related to nitrogen and phosphorus were found to be unsustainable in all river basins in SA. Efficient allocation and use of water is investigated by means of comparing the consumptive water footprint to global benchmark values, as well as the economic green- and blue-water productivity and the economic land productivity of the crops cultivated in SA. Furthermore, crops with specific potential for biofuel production are assessed. Lastly, recommendations to address the identified issues are given.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Pahlow, Markus , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68813 , vital:29327 , http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v41i3.02
- Description: Publisher version , One method to inform decisions with respect to sustainable, efficient and equitable water allocation and use is water footprint assessment (WFA). This paper presents a preliminary WFA of South Africa (SA) based on data for the period 1996-2005. Crop production was found to contribute about 75% of the total water footprint of national production. The total water footprint of crop production is mainly composed of five crops: maize, fodder crops, sugarcane, wheat and sunflower seed, which account for 83% of the crop water footprint. The average water footprint of a South African consumer is 1 255 m3/yr, below the world average of 1 385 m3/yr, and is dominated by the consumption of meat (32%) and cereals (29%). About one fifth of this water footprint of consumption is external to SA. While SA is a net virtual water importer, the virtual water trade analysis revealed that a large share of blue water consumption is related to export. Sustainability concerns are that the major river basins face severe blue-water scarcity for extended periods of the year, and that water pollution levels related to nitrogen and phosphorus were found to be unsustainable in all river basins in SA. Efficient allocation and use of water is investigated by means of comparing the consumptive water footprint to global benchmark values, as well as the economic green- and blue-water productivity and the economic land productivity of the crops cultivated in SA. Furthermore, crops with specific potential for biofuel production are assessed. Lastly, recommendations to address the identified issues are given.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Water, water everywhere: is Integrated Water Resource Management the right institutional prescription for South Africa's water management challenges?
- Madigele, Patricia K, Snowball, Jeanette D, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Madigele, Patricia K , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68555 , vital:29282 , http://2015.essa.org.za/fullpaper/essa_2849.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , Ostrom (2007) and Ostrom and Cox (2010) argue that natural resource management has been plagued by the “panacea problem": that one-size-fits-all solutions to allocation and management problems have been applied without due consideration of the specific context. The outcome has been the disappointing results of many development and management programs. Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) has been recognised as a potentially effective way of allocating water where there are multiple, sometimes competing, users (Saravanan et al. 2009). It has been used successfully in a number of other developing country contexts, including Mexico, Brazil, India and Thailand (Orne-Giliemann 2008; Meinzen-Dick 2007). The principles of IWRM were also adopted in South Africa under the National Water Act (1998). Water User Associations (WUA) are seen as one of the key institutions driving IWRM, since they are designed to allow stake-holders at local level a say in the allocation and management of this important public good (Aoki 2001). However, WUAs in South Africa have mostly not been a success and are currently being reviewed at national level. For the most part, emerging black farmers and rural communities still do not have equal access to water, or a meaningful role in decision-making, and there are significant security of supply and allocation issues with regard to municipal users as well. Using the AID (Institutional Analysis and Development) framework (Ostrom 2007), with particular reference to economic theory relating to incentives and transactions costs, this paper asks if IWRM is a panacea treatment that does not fit the diagnosis of South Africa's water management problems. A case study approach is used, focusing on one of the few established WUAs in the Sundays River Valley Municipality in a rural area of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Madigele, Patricia K , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68555 , vital:29282 , http://2015.essa.org.za/fullpaper/essa_2849.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , Ostrom (2007) and Ostrom and Cox (2010) argue that natural resource management has been plagued by the “panacea problem": that one-size-fits-all solutions to allocation and management problems have been applied without due consideration of the specific context. The outcome has been the disappointing results of many development and management programs. Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) has been recognised as a potentially effective way of allocating water where there are multiple, sometimes competing, users (Saravanan et al. 2009). It has been used successfully in a number of other developing country contexts, including Mexico, Brazil, India and Thailand (Orne-Giliemann 2008; Meinzen-Dick 2007). The principles of IWRM were also adopted in South Africa under the National Water Act (1998). Water User Associations (WUA) are seen as one of the key institutions driving IWRM, since they are designed to allow stake-holders at local level a say in the allocation and management of this important public good (Aoki 2001). However, WUAs in South Africa have mostly not been a success and are currently being reviewed at national level. For the most part, emerging black farmers and rural communities still do not have equal access to water, or a meaningful role in decision-making, and there are significant security of supply and allocation issues with regard to municipal users as well. Using the AID (Institutional Analysis and Development) framework (Ostrom 2007), with particular reference to economic theory relating to incentives and transactions costs, this paper asks if IWRM is a panacea treatment that does not fit the diagnosis of South Africa's water management problems. A case study approach is used, focusing on one of the few established WUAs in the Sundays River Valley Municipality in a rural area of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Regulatory incoherence and economic potential of freshwater recreational fisheries: the trout triangle in South Africa
- Marire, Juniours, Snowball, Jeanette D, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Marire, Juniours , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68621 , vital:29295 , https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2753/JEI0021-3624480406
- Description: Publisher version , We apply John R. Commons’s negotiational psychology, specifically his principle of sovereignty, to the development of a discordant regulatory culture and its likely impact on the economic potential of recreational fishing. Using South African environmental judicial precedents and other documentation, we formulate six plausible hypotheses. We argue that regulatory incoherence, entitlement insecurity, corporate-dominated social valuation, strategic power coalitions, lack of procedural fairness, and the extent of judicial enforcement of environmental rights help explain the economic potential and isolation of the freshwater recreational fisheries sector. We find a consistent pattern of extraction and monopolization of sovereign power by the Department of Mineral Resources from propertied parties. Thus, regulatory domination is a major mechanism affecting the economic potential of recreational fisheries in the Trout Triangle. While Commons postulated that private property is a sufficient condition for participation in the determination and use of sovereign power, we argue that private/public property is only a necessary condition. The conjunctive sufficient condition is the existence of both regulatory coherence between spheres of government and property.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Marire, Juniours , Snowball, Jeanette D , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68621 , vital:29295 , https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2753/JEI0021-3624480406
- Description: Publisher version , We apply John R. Commons’s negotiational psychology, specifically his principle of sovereignty, to the development of a discordant regulatory culture and its likely impact on the economic potential of recreational fishing. Using South African environmental judicial precedents and other documentation, we formulate six plausible hypotheses. We argue that regulatory incoherence, entitlement insecurity, corporate-dominated social valuation, strategic power coalitions, lack of procedural fairness, and the extent of judicial enforcement of environmental rights help explain the economic potential and isolation of the freshwater recreational fisheries sector. We find a consistent pattern of extraction and monopolization of sovereign power by the Department of Mineral Resources from propertied parties. Thus, regulatory domination is a major mechanism affecting the economic potential of recreational fisheries in the Trout Triangle. While Commons postulated that private property is a sufficient condition for participation in the determination and use of sovereign power, we argue that private/public property is only a necessary condition. The conjunctive sufficient condition is the existence of both regulatory coherence between spheres of government and property.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2014
Smallholder farmers’ access to credit in the Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Baiyegunhi, Lloyd J S, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Baiyegunhi, Lloyd J S , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69351 , vital:29503 , https://jarts.info/index.php/jarts/article/view/2014121946870/814
- Description: Provision of credit has being identified as an important instrument for improving the welfare of smallholder farmers directly and for enhancing productive capacity through financing investment by the farmers in their human and physical capital. This study investigated the individual and household characteristics that influence credit market access in Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, using a cross sectional data from smallholder farmers’ household survey. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the households’ level socio-economic characteristics, not only because they influence household’s demand for credit but also due to the fact that potential lenders are most likely to base their assessment of borrowers’ creditworthiness on such characteristics. The results of the logistic regression suggest that credit market access was significantly influenced by variables such as gender, education, households’ income, value of assets, savings, dependency ratio, repayment capacity and social capital. Implications for rural credit delivery are discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Baiyegunhi, Lloyd J S , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69351 , vital:29503 , https://jarts.info/index.php/jarts/article/view/2014121946870/814
- Description: Provision of credit has being identified as an important instrument for improving the welfare of smallholder farmers directly and for enhancing productive capacity through financing investment by the farmers in their human and physical capital. This study investigated the individual and household characteristics that influence credit market access in Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, using a cross sectional data from smallholder farmers’ household survey. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the households’ level socio-economic characteristics, not only because they influence household’s demand for credit but also due to the fact that potential lenders are most likely to base their assessment of borrowers’ creditworthiness on such characteristics. The results of the logistic regression suggest that credit market access was significantly influenced by variables such as gender, education, households’ income, value of assets, savings, dependency ratio, repayment capacity and social capital. Implications for rural credit delivery are discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Could a regulated market approach for rhinoceros horns work in South Africa? Some practical issues and concerns
- Collins, Alan, Fraser, Gavin C G, Snowball, Jeanette D
- Authors: Collins, Alan , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68600 , vital:29292 , http://www.essa2013.org.za/fullpaper/essa2013_2708.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , One of the proposals for fighting rhinoceros poaching is to legalise the trade in rhino horn and adopt a regulated market approach (RMA), which would require a vote at the 2016 CITES meeting in order to overturn the ban on the trade in rhino horn. The legal trade in rhino horn would enable the auctioning of stockpiles of horn and encourage captive breeding programmes. The aim of increasing the supply of horn is to reduce incentives to poach by driving down the price. This paper uses a conceptual/theoretical approach to consider the practical implications of the adoption of an RMA, drawing on demand, supply and production theory. The intention is explicitly to set out some practical concerns and issues that seem to have been underplayed or neglected in most published economic discourse on the subject. To secure a stockpile for some species needs biological success in captive breeding programs (CBPs) but this varies across species and habitats. Rhinoceros herds in a CBP would need relatively spatially extensive terrain and costly permanent security measures, and only appear feasible for the less aggressive “white” rhino. Thus, market price would actually need to be sustained at a high level to cover the start-up and security costs of such a programme that are unlikely to fall significantly. This is a double-edged sword in that the persistent high price of rhino horn provides an incentive for continued poaching activities. Supplementary policy measures that differentiate among consumer groups may also prove necessary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Collins, Alan , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68600 , vital:29292 , http://www.essa2013.org.za/fullpaper/essa2013_2708.pdf
- Description: Publisher version , One of the proposals for fighting rhinoceros poaching is to legalise the trade in rhino horn and adopt a regulated market approach (RMA), which would require a vote at the 2016 CITES meeting in order to overturn the ban on the trade in rhino horn. The legal trade in rhino horn would enable the auctioning of stockpiles of horn and encourage captive breeding programmes. The aim of increasing the supply of horn is to reduce incentives to poach by driving down the price. This paper uses a conceptual/theoretical approach to consider the practical implications of the adoption of an RMA, drawing on demand, supply and production theory. The intention is explicitly to set out some practical concerns and issues that seem to have been underplayed or neglected in most published economic discourse on the subject. To secure a stockpile for some species needs biological success in captive breeding programs (CBPs) but this varies across species and habitats. Rhinoceros herds in a CBP would need relatively spatially extensive terrain and costly permanent security measures, and only appear feasible for the less aggressive “white” rhino. Thus, market price would actually need to be sustained at a high level to cover the start-up and security costs of such a programme that are unlikely to fall significantly. This is a double-edged sword in that the persistent high price of rhino horn provides an incentive for continued poaching activities. Supplementary policy measures that differentiate among consumer groups may also prove necessary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013